How to influence social media users

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It’s just over a month since I began blogging. Here’s a quick self-evaluation:

THINGS I HAVE DONE WELL

  1. Posted good content (Positive comments attest thereto)
  2. Posted regularly (nearly five days a week)
  3. Built traffic, subscribers (RSS and newsletter), made new friends
  4. New customers for Referral Magic and The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit without paid advertising

THINGS I NEED TO IMPROVE/DO MORE

  1. Reach out to other bloggers (Comment on their posts, point my readers to their good content)
  2. Improve search engine rankings for certain key words
  3. Learn more about "nettiquite"–what’s the proper way to quote others, post comments on other blogs (i.e., can you link to yours?), etc.
  4. Learn more about "social networking" sites and how I can use them to build traffic and develop relationships with prospective promotion partners and mentors.

An excellent article on doshdosh.com, "How to influence social media users" presents a step-by-step plan for doing just that and has applicability to any kind of online networking.

Many of the web sites mentioned I’ve never heard of let alone visited, but they influence millions. So much to learn in this new world. . .

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New tool brings free website traffic

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See that widget in the far right column? It’s a new tool that brings free traffic to your blog. It’s called BlogRush and it’s from Internet marketing star, John Reese.

BlogRush is like a traffic exchange. You put the widget on your blog and get a credit each time it’s displayed. For each credit you generate, your blog articles are syndicated across other blogs that use the widget.

I installed it at The Attorney Marketing Center and I’m already getting referrals.

There’s a short video that explains what it is and how it works. Click here to watch the video.

Here’s a quick explanation: There is a ten-level referral system, so if you refer other people into BlogRush, you also get credit for credits they generate. You also get credit for people they refer and so on, up to ten levels below you.

Since this widget was just released this weekend, it’s the perfect time to join and start referring other people and generating credits that will turn into traffic for your blog.

Watch the video or sign up free by clicking here.

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Converting a newsletter into a blog

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Kevin O’Keefe writes about converting an email newsletter into a blog, and references Lorelle VanFossen’s post wherein she describes her struggle to explain to the management of an organization the differences between "pages" and "posts" and the thought process that went into deciding what should be what.

Kevin’s take is that structure is a secondary concern, and that’s true, but as someone who has just gone through the same process myself, I’ll tell you what I think.

First, I decided to have pages, or "psuedo-static web pages" as Lorelle describes them, for several obvious choices (about, blog, contact, newsletter, and products) and also one for articles. I chose to have an article page because I wanted to have a variety of detailed, evergreen articles available for browsing by visitors, without relying on category tags to "advertise" their existence.

This strategy has worked fine in the few weeks I have been writing this blog, but it has presented a challenge as well. Now, when I add a new article, I reference it via a new post. But I would prefer to put the contents of the articles into the post itself so that readers can get the full article delivered to them via their "reader".

What’s more, I believe many of my posts qualify to be annointed as "articles". So, from now, my strategy will be to put all new articles into posts and periodically harvest posts and paste them into pages. While that means there will be some duplication, it also means readers can find information via tags (which append to posts) or by browsing the articles.

As for the bigger issue of converting from newsletter to blog, I’m keeping both. Kevin mentions a number of advantages to making the conversion, including the indexing of search engines (leading to more traffic) and the archival nature of a blog, but there are advantages to maintaining the email newsletter as well.

For one thing, most subscribers to my (any) newsletter don’t (yet) use RSS, so unless they think about it, they won’t visit the blog. That means they’ll miss information. In fact, without a reminder, they may never to return to the blog, and that’s not good for either one of us. While I don’t (presently) intend to repeat the entirety of my blog posts in my email newsletter, I do intend to regularly remind readers of new posts, and that’s good for both of us.

In addition, having an email newsletter allows me to offer special information and offers to "my list". Blog readers who aren’t subscribed the newsletter won’t get this information or offers (so if you have not yet subscribed I enourage you to do so!)

Finally, writing for the newsletter "feels" different than writing for the blog. Sure, they are both public, but I feel a certain kinship with my newsletter subscribers, and while that may change as I gain experience with the blog, right now, my subscribers are special. I hope they feel the same way about me.

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How to choose the right specialty & my web site diary

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I posted two articles on the web site today:

  • How to choose the right specialty. Choosing the right right area(s) in which to specialize is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. To help you decide, ask yourself, and others, these questions.

  • David’s web site diary. Here’s what I have done to create this web site. If you’re interested in starting your own blog, here’s what I did (and why). I will update this page as this site develops.
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Welcome to The NEW Attorney Marketing Center!

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Welcome (or welcome back) to The Attorney Marketing Center!

You’ll notice quite a few changes here. You should see a cleaner look, easier navigation, and more content.

This update is long overdue. I created the first version of the AMC myself, nearly ten years ago, and haven’t updated it all that often, especially in the last couple of years. If you are subscriber to my newsletter, you haven’t heard much from me lately. I have been busy building another business.

A few weeks ago, I realized I needed a simple way to deliver information to my key business associates. I found WordPress, a user-friendly, free blogging resource, and set up a (private) blog. It was easy and it’s perfect for what I had in mind, and that’s when I got the idea to revamp this web site. What you see is the result.

You may notice that this entire web site is built upon and driven by blog technology. If you don’t know what that means (or don’t care), that’s okay, all you need to know is that the bottom line for you is more information that is faster to access, better organized, and more timely. But there’s another benefit.

A blog is really a diary, but there can be more than one diarist. I am here to organize and give impetus to the delivery of information, but others are encouraged to participate in that process, and that includes you. A blog allows a community to share their experiences, knowledge, and opinions. It is interactive and multi-dimensional. One comment elicits others, and the two are commented upon by a third. It is a melting pot of ideas, a sharing of experiences, and the amalgam which is produced thereby, strengthens and enriches us all.

Now, if this is old hat to you, if you have been blogging for three years and know your way around the Blogosphere like the back of your hand, then bear with those of us who are recent immigrants to the New World. We welcome your guidance and input and we hope you welcome us as well. We bring many questions and offer our unique experiences, and together, we will make this a more prosperous community for all.

Speaking of prosperity, the newsletter has been renamed The Prosperous Lawyer, to reflect the expanded scope of this web site. While marketing will continue to be the primary focus, we’ll also explore topics like goal setting, productivity, personal development, time management, and wealth creation. The goal is to build not just a successful law practice but a successful life. If you are not yet a subscriber to the newsletter, or if you’re not sure, fill in the subscription box in the right-hand corner of this page and watch for a confirmation email. (If you don’t get the email, check your spam folder.)

You can also subscribe to this blog’s "feed". See those chicklets on the far right, towards the bottom of the page? Those allow you to subscribe, using a "reader," and the blog posts (what you are reading right now) will be "pushed" to you so you can see what has been written without coming to the web site itself.

(Don’t ask me what I just said–remember, I’m new here!)

We’ll talk more about blogs and blogging in the days ahead. We’ll learn together! But although I am new to blogging, I am not new to marketing on the Internet, and there are three things I can tell you right now.

1. First, if you do not have some kind of online presence, you are missing out. There is a lot of business to be had online. People are looking for the solutions you offer, and if they can’t find you, they’ll hire someone else.

2. Second, it’s not that hard. Yes, there is a learning curve, but most of what I have done here I learned to do in the last two weeks. Of course, you can hire people to help you, or do it for you, but there are tools and resources available if you want to do it yourself (and I’ll help you find them).

3. Third, this is fun! I’m really enjoying this and I think you would, too, so come on in, the water is fine!

Please have a look around The NEW Attorney Marketing Center. I look forward to blogging with you.

All the best,

David Ward
“Be a mentor with a servant’s heart!”

P.S. For the "interesting but utterly useless file": Blogs that are law-related
are called "Blawgs."

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